From who starts to who finishes, Keith Smart has some interesting decisions to make when it comes to distributing playing time this year. There are only 48 minutes in an NBA game and the Kings are deep in talent in both the backcourt and the frontline.
Smart told media after practice yesterday that he explored an eight-man rotation. But because of the number of options he has at his disposal, the Kings head coach says he’s looking at possibly going 10 or 11-men deep into his depth chart.
“I think our roster is shaped to where we can probably play ten players,” Smart said. “How many minutes those ten players get, that’s going to be the next topic of discussion.”
Isaiah Thomas, Tyreke Evans, James Johnson, Jason Thompson and DeMarcus Cousins seem destined to be the Kings’ starters opening night on Halloween. If so, Aaron Brooks, Marcus Thornton, Chuck Hayes and Thomas Robinson would be expected to get the bulk of the minutes off the Kings’ bench. Francisco Garcia, Jimmer Fredette and Travis Outlaw may play sparingly. But if Smart goes deep into his reserves as he’s suggesting, it will be intriguing to see how he works those three players into the mix.
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